A soulful ray of sunshine cutting through the dark.
Arlo Parks has one of those voices that get across an entire world of emotion with her delivery and a handful of descriptive words punctuated by powerful statements. “Hope” is a preeminent example of her vocal prowess, each note soulful and smooth with a hint of her London accent coming through. In a song about the chaos and harm that can befall us in our everyday lives, Parks arrives as a balm, hinting at better days around the corner. “You’re not alone like you think you are/We all have scars, I know it’s hard,” she sings over touches of jazzy guitar, offering the empathetic companionship that brings light to someone’s personal darkness.
In Parks’ own words: “The song surrounds isolation, being present in your pain and knowing that you’re not the only one on the planet feeling low. I think especially in times like these it’s important to focus on the inevitability that things will get better.”
Parks’ debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams, is out now via Transgressive.